Note: Things are pretty much like they are on the show before the blackout, however, the date Noah set Patrick and Robin up on didn't end the same way. They did talk everything out, but instead of starting a relationship back up, they decided to remain friends. Otherwise everything that is currently happening on the show (such as Patrick's HIV scare, Ric/Sam and Jason/Elizabeth) holds true; except Alexis tells Sonny she has cancer the night of the blackout at the Metro Court – when Ric showed up at Sonny's house he was going to share, but his brother's confession about sleeping with Sam stopped him. Also since hates me, breaks with look like this -- !BREAK!
Just a week ago getting trapped in elevator with a beautiful woman would have been a fantasy come true for Patrick Drake. He was man who enjoyed the company of women, particularly intelligent beautiful women. When it came to the opposite sex he wanted more then the quick heat of passion. He wanted a challenge. As Robin once pointed out him, he wanted a little witty repartee while he seduced women into his bed. He hadn't argued with her evaluation because she had been right – it was an annoying habit of Dr. Scorpio's. That was one of the reasons Patrick had ended the benefits part of friendship when he did. He didn't want or need someone seeing through him. Into him.
Since that fateful dinner that's exactly what he and Robin had been. Friends and colleagues, but now that was shifting again and had been ever since April's surgery and his exposure to end-stage AIDS. Some of the staff avoided him like the plague, others offered sympathetic words of condolences, while very few people – like Elizabeth – offered true support and friendship. Robin tried to give that to him as well, but she couldn't hide the haunted look in her eyes, and Patrick knew why. She wasn't seeing him, not really, she was her first love, Stone, and what he suffered.
He hated the fact that he was making her relive that overwhelming grief so he'd done his best to avoided her since the surgery. It was a wholly selfish act. A need to preserve himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to feel anything, he just refused to be dependant on anyone. He didn't want to care so much about a person that it physically hurt when they were gone from his life.
That brought Patrick back to the woman occupying the elevator with him. Emily Quartermaine. He could sense the hurt he was so desperate to avoid coming off her in waves. It was enough to make him antsy. Shifting uncomfortably Patrick wiped the sweat from his brow. They'd been stuck in this tiny space for almost an hour. When the elevator first shuddered to a halt Emily shook her head and muttered, "Perfect," under her breath as she slid to the floor. He'd felt her soft brown eyes on him as he stabbed numerous buttons in hopes of getting the thing to move. When that didn't work he slammed his hand in frustration against the metal door and shouted for assistance.
There had been no response and knowing that it would be futile to bang on the door or continue to yell, he followed in Emily's footsteps and sank to the floor. He expected her to speak then, but she hadn't. Instead her gaze dropped to the floor and she proceeded to ignore him. He hadn't exactly felt chatty at the time either, but after almost an hour of silence as the temperature began to uncomfortably rise was more then enough for Patrick. If he was going to be miserable then he damn well wasn't going to suffer alone.
"Are you claustrophobic?" Her voice soft and filled with empathy surprised Patrick. He'd been ready to leap across their confined prison and shake her in hopes of getting attention. Apparently he already had it. "No," he replied. Her eyes lifted and he could see doubt clouding them. There was also the urge to protest, but she held herself back. It occurred to Patrick then if he was picking up on her hurt vibe, it was very likely she was picking up on how uncomfortable he was, only she thought it was their surroundings causing it.
He wasn't about to admit differently. The last thing he wanted was for Emily to even guess at the reason for the slight bit of panic he felt. More so for his pride then her feelings. "Really," he insisted, "I'm not. It's just hot in here. Not to mention uncomfortable." He emphasized this point by knocking on marble floor of the elevator. The beige titles were warm, like the air around them, against his knuckles.
Patrick took her squirming as an agreement to his proclamation. "Are you? Claustrophobic I mean."
"No, but depending on how long we're stuck in here that might change," she answered, a hint of humor in her voice.
"You and me both," he grinned.
Thanks to the small amount of emergency lighting in the elevator Emily caught the full effect of Patrick's undivided attention and smile. It was kick to her senses and she felt her heart rate increase. Then again what woman wouldn't react to him, she wondered. He was a fantasy come to life – sexy, charming, intelligent and, if half the nursing staff was correct, one hell of a lover. In the abstract Emily could appreciate those qualities. A good time with no stings – that would certainly keep people from getting their hearts broken and with the fresh pain of losing Sonny, she could see the appeal of that kind of arrangement.
Then again so much would be missed out on if you couldn't risk you heart. No one would truly know you, and therefore no one would really love you – the whole you. Having lost so much at a young age Emily had learned that things weren't important, people were. Even if she got her heart broken a million more times she knew showing someone she loved them, and feeling their love in return was worth the pain. She thought it was a shame that Patrick didn't realize that because he was missing out and so was Robin.
"So …" she let the word hang between them. Emily didn't know what to say to Patrick. Before she had been with Sonny he had flirted with her. Outrageously. Then there was their interesting date a Jake's, but whatever friendship there was between them fell to the wayside when the epidemic hit. Her focus had been Sonny and Patrick's attention seem to fall exclusively onto Robin. She would see him in the hospital and they'd exchange pleasantries, but she didn't have the kind of easy friendship with him that Elizabeth did. And thanks to the gossip mill she knew about his exposure, but she wasn't exactly sure to say to Patrick. Nor was she sure he'd accept any kindness from her because they weren't friends.
They weren't anything to each other and now they were stuck in a tin can for the foreseeable future. Emily didn't think she could handle the quiet, but breezy conversation didn't seem plausible.
"Are you meeting Elizabeth?" he asked. The question puzzled her. The last time she'd spoken to her friend she had been apologizing for not being able to make it to Lulu's birthday party. She hadn't been up for facing all the happiness.
"No. Why?"
The second he asked the question Patrick knew he'd stepped into it. He didn't need see the confusion marring Emily's brow to realize that. It was probably common knowledge around the hospital by now that Lucky had cheated on Elizabeth with Maxie Jones. True he hadn't seen Emily there, but he assumed that Elizabeth would have told her. They were best friends after all.
As were Emily and Lucky, he remembered. The Four Musketeers. That's how Elizabeth had laughingly referred to them. He'd seen the bond between the four of them with his own eyes when Lucky was injured. They'd seem to speak without words and conveyed more support with one touch then he'd seen others share while clinging. He had friends, but not like that. The bond he'd seen between them was deeper, stronger and too damn permanent. It was a different kind of love, but love nonetheless, and like romantic love it was something to be avoided.
"No reason."
"You expect me to believe that?" Emily scoffed. "You can't ask a pointed question and say it has no meaning."
"Sure I can," he fired back. "I just did."
"Oh really?" There was an unexpected edge to her voice and he suddenly remembered the gleam in her eye when she defended herself at Jake's. "Care to explain why you've been avoiding Robin all week?"
Emily saw him flinch. The movement was so slight that others might had missed it, but having a brother like Jason made it easier to pick up on the little things. She instantly regretted her question and the attitude she thrown behind it. She was hot, grumpy and broken hearted. None of those things were Patrick's fault, and taking them out on him just because he was there wasn't fair. He was dealing with enough as it was, he didn't really need her crap thrown on him. Before she could apologize though he spat out, "I haven't been avoiding Robin."
That fact was laughable, Emily knew. Just the other day she and Robin had commiserated over chocolate shakes at Kelly's. She had expressed her heartache over Sonny and Robin her concern for Patrick. Robin has also insisted that her fears weren't because of any romantic feelings she had for Patrick. That part of their relationship was over with and she was fine with it. When her friend shared that with her Emily had let out an indignant snort, but Robin held her ground. "You know, you and Robin are both protesting a little too much. It's obvious that you care about each other."
"I don't care about anyone, at least not like that." Patrick's voice was hard and defensive, his hazel eyes were alight with annoyance.
"Fine," she snapped throwing her arms in the air. "Live in denial. It's not my problem!"
"No," he ground out in agreement. "It's not."
!BREAK!
The silence ticked away endless as the air around them thickened with heat. Emily was feeling all shades of uncomfortable and she wasn't pleased by it. Admittedly some of it could be blamed on Patrick, but the majority of it had nothing to do with him. Her heartbreak wasn't his doing, nor her current predicament of being stuck in an elevator. He was trapped just as much as she was and he also happened to be under an enormous amount of pressure. She knew what it was like having to face a life threatening disease. She hadn't handled it well and she could hardly blame Patrick for his surly disposition.
Still after forty-minutes of trying to avoid each other Emily was tired. She didn't want to sit in this damnable elevator with another person and feel so alone. If that meant that she had to take the first step then so be it. Lifting her gaze, her dark eyes met Patrick's before he glanced away. "I'm sorry."
She saw him stiffen. Again it was a slight move, barely noticeable. "Fine," he replied still doing his best to ignore her.
"No, I mean it," Emily stated earnestly. She wasn't sure if it was the tone in her voice or her words, but Patrick's gaze once again met hers. With a hesitant smile she continued, "And I'll prove it."
"You don't need to," he said offering his own half smile. Seeing it Emily realized that under different circumstances Patrick could be dangerously sexy. She could appreciate him for that and leave things alone, but she couldn't help but feel that Patrick could use a friend. A real friend, someone he could lean and count on. She had that kind of relationship with Lucky and Elizabeth, and even Nikolas.
It was obvious he wasn't looking for one. By all accounts – well Robin's and Elizabeth's – he was doing his best to avoid developing a deeper connection with anyone. Patrick might not be willing to admit it, but he needed a friend now. He needed support and she couldn't help but respond to that need. That's what she did. Granted it had gotten her into trouble in the past, but she couldn't deny that part of herself. If she was going to have any hope of opening Patrick up, Emily knew she had to offer up a piece of herself first. "I'm serious Patrick. Go ahead and ask me anything. I'll answer it," she said solemnly. "It doesn't matter what you ask. I'll tell you the truth."
The naked honesty behind her words pulled at something inside him. Patrick wasn't sure he could articulate what Emily had touched, but she had touched something. It was terrifying and thrilling, and though unnerved he felt compelled to take her up on her offer. "Why did your marriage to Nikolas fail?"
He saw something flash in eyes that he couldn't place. Sadness, he thought but couldn't be certain. "You want to know about my marriage?" she asked puzzlement marring her face.
It did seem like a rather odd question coming from him. He wasn't one for commitments but from the rumor mill at the hospital he'd learned about her marriage. It had been considered a fairytale, true love, and all that nonsense he didn't believe in. Everyone else seemed to and had been disheartened when the two divorced, but none so more then Amy Vining, Head Gossipmonger. "If Emily and Nikolas couldn't make it work what hope is there for us?" he heard her lament once.
Being a man who wouldn't allow himself to get that deep into a relationship, he still found himself interested by them. Why would anyone be willing to trap themselves like that? Especially when relationships were bound to end. Perhaps, it wasn't so much an interest in why things ended, but how could a marriage end and the two parties remain friends like Emily and Nikolas had. Patrick had trouble wrapping his head around that but gossip hadn't been able to enlighten him. Whenever the topic of what split Nikolas and Emily apart came up Amy became unusually quiet. She obviously knew something but she never elaborate. She merely said it was "Complicated," and left it at that.
Feeling like a complete idiot Patrick explained that he knew about her relationship with Sonny, hell he had played a small role in their mating dance. That comment garnered an amused snort from Emily. He also revealed the amount of gossip that was still in circulation about her marriage – something she was none to pleased to hear. Though Amy's insistence to only state that their breakup was complicated and nothing else clearly cheered her some. "It's hard ignore hospital gossip when working with Amy."
Emily chuckled, "Believe me, I'm well aware of that. Amy just likes to be in the know. It's kind of endearing actually, because she's not malicious about it."
"True, but she is one hell of a busybody," he pointed out earning another laugh from Emily. One that was filled with less tension. The fact that he noticed the inflection of her laugh startled him. Being causally friendly was one thing, but noticing the difference in a person's laugh was a little too close for comfort. "It was ridiculous question and I shouldn't have asked it. Just forgot about it."
"Too late for that," she told him a look of determination settling over her features. "You asked and I promised the truth. I just need you to promise me something."
Promise her something. His stomach turned at the request. He didn't make promises. He wasn't that guy. And yet he was intrigued. What kind of promise would Emily Quartermaine require and why? He'd always been a curious person. He wanted to know more, to do more. Knowledge and experience were a driving force in life, and that's what had him saying: "What do I need to promise?"
"That you won't see me as some fragile little girl."
Emily's womanly curves were hard to hide, even in hospital scrubs, so it was hard to picture her as a little anything. Fragile, however, was another issue. There was a … softness about Emily, but after seeing her at Jake's he also knew that she was a woman who could handle herself. Just has she'd done through the epidemic. And looking at her now, sitting across from him covered in sweat on an unforgiving marble floor without compliant Patrick didn't see single thing fragile about her. It would, he thought, be an easy promise to make and keep; and knowing that made the decision easier. "I promise."
His declaration seemed to please her. "All right then," she sighed. "Amy's right – not so much that the reasons behind my divorce are complicated, but the circumstances."
Patrick listened intently as Emily spoke of the Cassadine legacy and how far Helena, Nikolas' grandmother, would go to insure it. He listen while she told him of a false murder and a prison sentence baring down on the Prince. It could have been melodramatic, except for the look on Emily's face when she spoke. He could hear it in her voice as well. The experience had cost her, as was it's re-telling, but she didn't stop. He watched as her face changed and her eyes sparkled as she recounted her wedding and watched sadness seep back into her eyes as she explained that Nikolas was dragged away to prison the next morning.
"We – Lucky, Elizabeth and I – were determine to prove that Helena was alive. And thanks to my sister, Skye, Luke was willing to help us. Of course he's always loved one-up Helena," she said with a amusement. "We worked out, what I thought at the time, was a perfect plan to bring Helena out of hiding. It worked to, but there were unexpected consequences."
His throat clogged at the way she said "consequences." Again Patrick both saw and felt a shift in her. Even though it felt like it was a thousand degrees inside the elevator Emily shivered. As she pulled he knees up to chest and wrapped her arms around them he wanted to tell her to stop. Things were getting way to heavy and way to personal for him.
She must of felt his apprehension because she looked at him with a defiant challenge in her eyes. How the hell was he suppose to say stop to a look like that? Patrick wondered. "What was the plan?" he inquired, surprised by how uncertain his voice sounded.
"There was a man, Connor," she said his name with disgust. It was tone he never heard her use before and it surprised him. He seen her resilience but he never would have believed that there was a hard edge to Emily. "He looked like Nikolas. Exactly like him," she stressed. "Their manners and demeanors couldn't have been more different though. I had to show him … explain to him how to be Nikolas. See, Luke's grand plan was to have Helena think that Connor and Nikolas had switched places and that Nikolas wasn't actually in jail. So Connor and I had to act like a … a couple," she stumbled over the word, "in public."
"The ruse worked. Helena thought Nikolas was free, but instead of showing her face like we hoped, she struck out and Connor – pretending to be Nikolas – and I had to go into hiding. Alone." Her eyes went wide with a dull a horror as she said that.
"Connor had ideas about us." Patrick felt his stomach tighten. He knew whatever "ideas" Connor had were ones that Emily hadn't shared. He felt a fluttering of panic start in his chest. He was very afraid he knew where this was leading. "I made it clear to him from the very beginning that I had no interesting in him. Whatsoever. It was about freeing Nikolas, being with him again. Connor swore he understood. He was really convincing … assuring me that ALL he wanted to do was help. I was desperate enough to believe him. That was my first mistake, but not my last," she said sadly.
He knew then for certain what Connor had done to Emily, and selfish bastard that he was Patrick didn't want Emily to continue. If she said the words out loud he couldn't pretend to not to know the ugliness that had touched her. Not that he was certain he could even if she didn't confide him.
"I agreed to stay with him, alone. I convinced everyone that it would fine. I was the one foolish enough to think that Connor was my friend and that his intentions were good," her words came fast now, as if the speed of them would prevent the pain from assaulting her. "I was even willing to over look certain actions because coming out of hiding could have jeopardized the plan." Patrick watched silently as Emily's grip around her legs tightened. It looked like she was trying to make herself as small as possible, less of a target.
"I did a number of things wrong and that's probably why I blamed myself for what happened. But it wasn't my fault that Connor raped me." Patrick's breath caught even though he'd been expecting the words. He hated, he actually HATED the fact that cruelty people could do to each other had been inflicted on Emily. She was so kind, so giving, so fragile – his mind rebelled at the thought. No one fragile could be sitting across from him sharing their pain.
His thoughts had him missing some of her words and he when he came back to her voice he heard say: "Just like it wasn't Nikolas' fault that man who attacked him had his face. We—I tried to get past that fact. I couldn't though. Being intimate with Nikolas, not just physically, but emotionally was too much for me. I tried, but it was forced … and fake. The passion that there between us before was snuffed out and nothing either of us did could bring it back."
Her generosity awed Patrick. He could damn well blame Nikolas for not giving her the time and space she so obviously needed, but she didn't. At least, she didn't put the blame squarely on him. No one fragile would be willing to accept their share of responsibility for mistakes made.
"No matter how much we were in love, we couldn't be close, and that drove Nikolas into Courtney's arms. And, while I was really ticked off about it for a time, and at them, I got over it." Her eyes flashed darker with the remembered anger, but it faded into acceptance as she went on. "I was hurt, Nikolas was hurt and we hurt each other. So much so that we couldn't hold onto our marriage and if we wanted to hold onto our friendship we had to let go of the fairytale." As she said those words Emily's arms fell from around her knees and everything about her loosened. "Every day since I'm glad we did. I still have my friend and I found the ability to love again. To give my whole heart. I didn't allow Conner to take those things from me," though her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears there was confidence in her voice.
"Whoever thinks you're fragile is a fool," Patrick stated passionately. He could understand why people might think she was fragile, but that was just a veneer. If you looked beyond it, like he was now, you could see Emily's strength. "Emily you might get chipped, but you don't break. I don't know why people don't see that but I do."
His words caused her to gape at him. She hadn't known what to except from Patrick, but his assertion that she was strong – that she wouldn't break surprised her. No one, not even Jason, had that initial reaction. She had noticed the tension, the abhorrence and the sadness Patrick felt while she spoke. She could still see the sorrow he felt, for the fact that she went through what she had, swimming in his eyes along with anger on her behalf, but he showed no need to coddle her. To try and make it all better. "Thank you."
Surprise crossed his face and Emily found that she liked putting it there. There was something powerful about being unpredictable and that surge of feeling wiped away the shadows from reliving the rape. Oddly enough she felt good, and Patrick's next words only lifted her up more: "You're a hell of a woman Emily."
Grinning she replied, "You're not so bad yourself Dr. Drake."
He returned her smile with one of his own. "This might sound like an odd request. And it's probably a hell of a time to make it, but could I kiss you?"
Patrick's requested startled her and Emily tripped over her reply, "You want to … to kiss me?" she questioned.
His shoulders sagged slightly, "Never mind. I shouldn't have asked."
"Why?" she pondered out loud.
"Because I've been exposed," his answer was terse, his annoyance impossible to miss.
"No, not that. I could care less about that Patrick." She hadn't know Stone as well as Lucky did, but she knew Robin. His exposure didn't bother her, but she couldn't fathom why he would want to kiss. So she asked him. "Why would you want to kiss me?"
"Emily," her name sounded like silk coming from his lips. "You're beautiful, smart, and brave as hell. Why wouldn't I want to kiss you?"
"Because I'm just coming out of a relationship," she said, knowing that she really didn't have to remind him of that, "and I don't want to start a new one."
"I'm not looking for a relationship Emily," he said leaning in towards her. "Even if I did relationships, I wouldn't start one until I've been cleared."
"So," she drew out the word as she leaned towards him without realizing it. "You just want to kiss me?"
"Yes," Patrick answered, his mouth inches from hers.
Staring up into his hazel eyes the temptation was great, but Emily still hesitated. "We kiss and then what?"
"Nothing. The kiss stays here in the elevator. Like it never happened," he promised.
Emily licked her lips. "Does everything stay in here? Does our friendship?"
Patrick couldn't deny a bond had form between them, and oddly enough he didn't want to. There was nothing all that dangerous about friendship. It was certainly easier to keep in check then anything romantic. "No," he answered. "That we keep."
"All right," she said breathlessly. "You can—" His lips settling over hers stopped her words. Patrick meant to keep the kiss light, friendly even, but the feel of her lips – soft and giving under his propelled him to deepen the kiss even as he pulled her closer.
Enfolding her arms around him she parted her lips and felt Patrick's tongue sweep in. The sensation of their tongues dancing together thrilled her. She wanted blindly for the first time in her life and strained to meet that need, turning the kiss carnal. Emily felt his fingers tangle in hair as his mouth continued to plunder.
More. Even though he knew he shouldn't want more, Patrick still did. Instead of Emily's knees against his chest he wanted her flush against him. He wanted to feel her every curve and just as he figured a way to keep kissing her and get her closer he felt the elevator jump to life. The sudden shock of movement had them falling away from he other.
Unnerved by the want he caught in her eyes and his own reaction he joked, "So was that first time the earth moved for you?"
The outlandish question caused Emily to laugh. It was a rich and thick sound that echoed in the now moving elevator. "You're … so … lame," she said between giggles.
Patrick blinked at her unexpected response. He'd never in his life been called lame before. "It's ok," she said laughing so hard tears stung her eyes. "I won't … tell anyone."
!BREAK!
Patrick was getting use to starting the day tired. Spending his nights close to his toilet wasn't something he was use to, but he accepted the side-effects anti-viral meds, even if they made him feel lousy. Yawning he made his way up the steps to the fourth floor. He wasn't quite ready to tempt fate and step inside an elevator again. His mind flashed briefly to the kiss he shared with Emily. Enjoyable, but he refused to believe memorable, as he stepped out of the stairway.
Heading down the hallway to the locker room he noticed Epiphany, who nodded at him, and Patrick returned her gesture of welcome with an absentminded wave. The first bout of morning nausea had passed and he hoped to get his rounds done before the next inevitable wave hit him. With that determined thought in his head he ducked into the locker room only to bumped into Robin.
"Oompf," she breathed out stepping back from him.
"You okay?" he inquired, reaching out to steady her on her feet. The cross look on her face faded as she looked up and recognized him.
"Nothing broken," she answered her lips lifting with a smile. And for the first time in a week he returned it with one of his own. "Good," he said dropping his hand from her. Not having a lot of experience apologizing Patrick felt a nervous tension between his shoulders. "Ah, Robin," he started. Unsure of his words he paused and felt the weight of Robin's expectant gaze. An uncomfortable laugh escaped him. "I'm not any good at this."
"At what?"
"Apologizing," he admitted sheepishly. It was Robin's turn to laugh and Patrick enjoyed the sound. It had after all been a while since he heard it.
"I kind of knew that already," she informed him.
"Whatever could have given me away?" he teased. "I am sorry though Robin," Patrick said turning serious. "I've been avoiding you after all you've tried to do is help."
"I was trying to help you Patrick, but it wasn't just about you," she admitted. "I don't have right to push my baggage onto you."
"You weren't," he assured her. "I just … you were in pain, and I don't handle that well either."
"Most guys don't," Robin replied absolving him. "I know you're not use to leaning on anyone Patrick, but I want you to know I'm here if you need a friend."
"I appreciate that Robin," he said in earnest. "And I promise not avoid you anymore."
"Avoid me?" she questioned playfully. "I hadn't noticed." The two share their first comfortable laugh in a week before Robin said, "Actually that comes in handy, because I have some good news about April."
"Really? What?" Patrick inquired as reached into his locker. He was pulling his lab coat on when Robin happily reported, "Sonny's going to pay for April's care. Ms. Sneed won't be trying to evict her again. Sonny saw to that personally."
Patrick didn't feel comfortable around Sonny Corinthos. He was after all Port Charles answer to Michael Corleone, but he wasn't going to protest his assistance. April needed the best care available and she wouldn't get it at County. He also knew that Sonny was doing this for Robin and for Stone. Patrick couldn't help but respect him for that. "I wish I could have been there for that – Sonny Corinthos vs. Mrs. Sneed. Not exactly a fair match up, but that woman has been nothing but a pain, and completely uncaring towards April."